


Took You Long Enough

by megsblackfire



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Gabriel isn't having any of it, Jack is very self-deprecating, M/M, Modern AU, baby!jesse, dad!Jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 13:21:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17767547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megsblackfire/pseuds/megsblackfire
Summary: Jack is a hard-working manager who does his best to give his son, Jesse, the best life that he can. He's had his eye on Gabriel Reyes, the man that babysits Jesse while running his own business, but he's too terrified to even ask him out to supper. Good thing Gabriel knows what he wants and Jack is at the top of that list.





	Took You Long Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Take dad!Jack from my cold, dead fingers. He is a fantastic dad. And Gabriel loves kids, so of course he spends his day babysitting.

Jack settled his name tag into place above his shirt pocket and let out a long sigh. He ran his hand through his hair, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. He smiled weakly before he swiped his card and went to start his shift.

He liked his job well enough; he had gotten far enough in the organization to be a manager and didn’t have to worry about dealing with the customers all the time. He handled the camping section of the store, directing the people under his supervision to move items around the sales floor and scheduling them around their busy lives. He loved the people under his supervision and they seemed to like him too. At least, they never hissed about him behind his back where anyone could hear them.

Jack walked the floor, noting where the items that would be going on sale were located so that they could get them out on the flex-pads faster. Hana was tapping her foot beside him, squinting at the clipboard he was holding before she reached out to poke at an article number.

“Those aren’t on the floor,” she said. “Sold the last one about an hour ago.”

“Did you do a rush order?” Jack asked as he made note of it.

“Yup; boys in the back are working on it,” she said. “Apparently, fishing needs more stuff rushed out first.”

“Understandable,” Jack chuckled. “Okay, I’m going to finish my rounds then we’re going to start taking red tags down.”

“Sure thing, Jack,” Hana nodded before she sidled up to a couple and greeted them.

Jack did his best not to smirk as she expertly folded herself into the conversation the couple were having. She was way too good at her job and he was glad he had managed to snag her for his own department over the front end. She was a great addition to his team.

He finished his rounds, spoke with a few other team members, and returned to the front. He started removing red tags, signalling that the sale that had been going was on its last day. He stopped quite a few times to talk with customers, directing them to the shelves that contained the items they wanted, giving them personal anecdotal evidence to the performance of certain products, and swapping funny camping stories.

It was around noon when he heard little feet pattering towards him. He knew the owner of the little feet was trying to be stealthy, but they were still too young to be good at it. He smiled, doing his best to pretend that he didn’t hear the little feet. Right at the last second, he spun around and scooped the five-year-old up into his arms, covering the chubby cheeks in playful, biting kisses.

“Eee!” the child squealed. “Daddy, no!”

“Sorry, Jesse; Daddy’s a werewolf now,” Jack growled against his son’s cheek. “There is no escape!”

“No!” Jesse squealed and wiggled in his arms.

Jack heard a soft chuckle and shot a smile at the man standing with his hands in his pockets. Jesse’s babysitter watched them fondly, letting them have their moment before he walked forward and poked Jesse’s nose.

“Told you that your daddy wouldn’t be fooled,” Gabriel teased.

Jesse whined and pouted, pressing his cheek against Jack’s. Jack smiled, balancing Jesse on his hip as he glanced at Gabriel. He did his best to keep the butterflies in his stomach from bursting out of his mouth and he hoped his face wasn’t as flushed as he believed it was. The last thing he wanted to do was explain his bodily functions to Gabriel.

“Thanks again for babysitting on such short notice, Gabriel,” Jack said.

“Anything for the squirt,” Gabriel smiled. “And the extra bit of cash doesn’t hurt either.”

Jack did his best to chuckle lightly and not let it get out of hand. It was pathetic; Gabriel had been babysitting Jesse since he’d turned two. Jack was head-over-heels for the other man, but he was almost certain that Gabriel was not only straight but way, _way_ out of his league. A man that gorgeous, that funny, that loveable did not get together with someone like Jack. He was a workaholic struggling to provide for his son and had to rely on another person to look after Jesse when he had to work odd hours. That wasn’t exactly something that screamed ‘boyfriend material’.

“It means a lot,” Jack said. “Don’t think there’s anyone else that Jesse trusts like you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel smiled and reached out to gently pinch Jesse’s cheek. “Kid’s got a good head on his shoulders,” he said. “He knows who can be trusted, right _vacquerito_?”

“Yah!” Jesse grinned. “Gabi’s the best, Daddy!”

“I wouldn’t keep bringing him back if I didn’t think so,” Jack agreed.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow before he swayed on his feet. “Well, if that’s the case, why don’t you save the money you were going to pay me for today and put it towards a steak dinner for two?”

Jack felt his mouth go dry before he cleared his throat quickly. “Oh, a dinner for you and your partner?” he smiled.

“Little presumptuous there, blondie,” Gabriel smirked.

“I’m lost,” Jack said. “Did I miss part of the conversation?”

Gabriel let out a long sigh before he shook his head. He said something in Spanish that Jack clumsily translated as “cute but dumb”; his Spanish was not as good as it used to be from lack of use; and gave Jack a sad smile.

“Jack, I’m asking you to take me to dinner,” he said. “On a date. Because you’ve been taking way too long and I’m tired of waiting for you to get the balls to ask.”

Jack stared at the man before he felt heat rush to his face. “W-what?” he squeaked.

Jesse giggled at his funny voice. Hana appeared as Jack’s elbow and quickly ‘kidnapped’ Jesse, rushing off to show off everyone’s favourite toddler to the other team members. Jack swallowed dryly and immediately started picking at his nails. Gabriel smiled at him and set his hands on his hips.

“What? You think I didn’t notice?” he asked. “Jack, your crush was so obvious that I was insulted that you didn’t ask me out sooner.”

“I thought you were straight,” Jack whispered. “All you ever talked about were your female exes.”

“Jack, I’m bi,” Gabriel laughed. “I’ve only had steady girlfriends because they didn’t freak the fuck out when they learned about my sexuality. Men? Fuck, I almost got knocked out the last time I flirted with a guy because the man I was hitting on lost his shit.”

Jack stared at him before he covered his face to hide how red it had gotten. “I am such a chicken shit,” he whispered.

“Yah, you are,” Gabriel laughed. “Three years babysitting for you and you only ask me out because I told you to.”

“I’m not good with this sort of thing,” Jack whined and rubbed at his face. “But, um, would you prefer something a little different than steak? I’m sort of saving up money for Jesse’s birthday present.”

“No sweat,” Gabriel grinned. “I’m happy with a burger too. Just figured that steak would be more romantic.”

“It would be,” Jack agreed before he rubbed his neck. “So, um, tomorrow around five?”

“Sounds good,” Gabriel smiled. “Now, I’m going to rescue Jesse from the claws of your subordinates. Don’t need the kid hopped up on sugar when I try to get him ready for bed.”

“Thanks,” Jack smiled as Gabriel brushed past him and went to retrieve Jesse.

He did his best not to dance in place like a teenager that just got a date with the prom queen. He was almost thirty; he was supposed to be more mature than this. But, then again, he didn’t exactly expect to ever get a date with Gabriel Reyes. Wasn’t there something about a stereotype of the father dating the babysitter? Shouldn’t he have been trying not to fit that stereotype?

He tried not to think about it as he got back to work, giving Jesse five dollars to get himself some fudge from the Fudge Shop. Gabriel knew which kind Jesse would love and promised that he wouldn’t let Jesse eat it until they were home where he wasn’t going to drive everyone else up a wall with his sugar-high induced energy.

By the time he got home four hours later, Jesse was down for a nap and Gabriel looked ready to join him. Jack paid Gabriel in spite of his protests, telling him that he was going to get paid for his work, regardless of what he felt. Gabriel left with a reminder of their date.

Jack waited for the door to close and for Gabriel to get into his car and drive off before he let out a happy cry and bounced on the spot. He had a date with Gabriel. HE HAD A DATE WITH GABRIEL!

* * *

 

Jack did his best not to jump out of his skin as he drove Jesse over to his friend’s house. The sleepover had already been planned the week before with the kid’s parents promising to get everyone to school on time the next day so it worked out perfectly for him. He was just so antsy and he didn’t want Jesse to think that he wanted to get rid of him.

“Are you and Gabi going on a date?” Jesse asked as he kicked his feet in his booster seat.

“We’re getting supper,” Jack replied. “That’s all.”

“You’ve been really excited all day,” Jesse said as he played with his fingers. “Do you like Gabi, Daddy?”

“Gabriel is a very nice man, Jesse,” Jack smiled. “I am very lucky to have him as a friend.”

Jesse nodded in agreement as Jack turned into the driveway of his friend’s house. Jesse bolted for the front door as soon as he was out of his booster seat, tackling his friend backwards into their house as they opened the door. Jack smiled as he walked up to the house and handed off Jesse’s overnight bag to the other parent. He thanked them for hosting the sleepover before saying his goodnights to Jesse. He retreated to his car and did his best not to peel out and head for Gabriel’s house.

He kept himself under control until he pulled into Gabriel’s driveway. Anxiety threatened to engulf him, but it vanished as soon as Gabriel stepped out of his house in jeans and a t-shirt pulling a gray beanie over his head. He dropped into the passenger seat with a smile, buckling himself in.

“So, there’s this burger place just up the road; all homemade stuff,” he said.

“Sounds good,” Jack nodded as he pulled out of the driveway. “Direct me there, please.”

They were silent for the rest of the trip except for Gabriel giving directions. Jack did his best not to wipe his hands on his pants as they sweated heavily. Gabriel barely moved in his seat until Jack had pulled into a parking spot. He led the way into the restaurant, waving at the waiters as they ran back and forth with orders.

They took a seat in a booth at the back of the restaurant, shifting as they waited for a waiter to show up. Jack did his best not to shift too much as they waited, not wanting Gabriel to think that he was as anxious as he felt.

“Sorry for the wait,” the waiter said as he hurried over. “What can I get you?”

“Two avocado burgers with sweet potato fries,” Gabriel said with a smirk. “Ketchup, red onion, lettuce, and pickles. Jack?”

“Uh,” Jack blinked at Gabriel before he flipped rapidly through the menu to find where the avocado burger was. “Red onions, mayonnaise, and pickles.”

“Alright; anything to drink?” the waiter asked.

“Water,” Jack said.

“Water,” Gabriel agreed.

The waiter jotted it down and hurried off to hand the order to the cook. Jack rubbed his neck and smiled weakly at Gabriel.

“How’d you think that I’d like that burger?” he asked.

“I’ve seen what’s in your fridge for three years,” Gabriel smirked at him. “I know damn well that you love that fruit.”

“Fair enough,” Jack sighed and rubbed his neck.

“Do I make you that nervous, Jack?” Gabriel asked.

“Hard not to,” Jack smiled shyly. “I mean, I’m just a country bumpkin.”

Gabriel blinked at him before leaning forward. “Are you kidding me?” he asked. “Jack, you’re anything but a country bumpkin. You’re gorgeous and smart.”

“So are you!” Jack shouted before dropping his head. “You’re way out of my league.”

“Seriously?” Gabriel blinked. “I figured we were in the same bracket.”

“No way; you’re way more attractive than I am,” Jack shook his head. “There are hundreds of thousands of blond men like me.”

“And there’s hundreds of thousands of dark skinned men like me,” Gabriel smirked. “Stop making excuses, Jack. I find you attractive and you find me attractive.”

“Well, yes,” Jack sighed and rubbed his neck. “But maybe you’d like someone a little more impressive in their career choice.”

“You’re a manager,” Gabriel shook his head. “That’s impressive, Jack.”

“Not really,” Jack sighed. “I mean, you….”

“Are a babysitter,” Gabriel smirked. “At least during the day. I own a bar at the other end of town that I manage the rest of the time.”

“See? Successful,” Jack said.

“Jack, you don’t have to have your own business to be successful; you have a kid that loves you,” Gabriel shook his head as their suppers were set down in front of them. “That’s pretty successful in my books.”

Jack opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again. He stuffed a few sweet potato fries into his mouth as he avoided making eye contact. Gabriel let out a long suffering sigh before he chomped on a fry.

“Wow, you really are a ball of self-deprecation, aren’t you?” he asked. “And here I thought I was reading too much into it.”

Jack shot Gabriel a quick glance before he returned his focus to the table. He jumped as Gabriel’s hand settled on his wrist and looked up, meeting the gentle gaze of the other man. His stomach flipped over in his gut and he swallowed, trying not to think about how much it made his heart hammer with delight.

“Jack, you might not believe it, but I think you’re amazing,” he said. “I want to get to know you on a personal level, not just as two people that exchange money for services rendered.”

“I want that too,” Jack murmured. “You’ve come to be the person that I rely on the most. I know that’s probably not fair to you, but I know that you’re there if I need you to be. I appreciate it so much.”

“I’m not like that with a lot of the other kids I babysit,” Gabriel smiled. “I love Jesse. He’s so clever and goofy. You’re raising a great kid.”

“I do my best,” Jack smiled. “I want Jesse to know that I love him no matter what, even if I do work some really weird hours at times.”

“Trust me, Jesse’s crazy about you,” Gabriel laughed. “It’s all he talks about.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Jack smiled. “He likes to talk about his show with me. Doesn’t tell his daddy how awesome he is.”

“Of course not; he doesn’t think he has to,” Gabriel laughed as he tore into his burger. “Mmm, fuck; Al makes the best burgers.”

“I’m surprised I’ve never eaten here before,” Jack mused as he returned to his burger. “These are juicy.”

“Well, it’s like any family run business, right?” Gabriel smiled. “You either know about it or you don’t. But, now you know about it and you can enjoy it to its full extent.”

Jack nodded as he stuffed some of the onions into his mouth. He knew that Jesse was going to love this place. Kid had an adult’s appetite and got very insulted if someone tried to order from the kids’ menu for him. A nice, thick burger would be right up his alley.

They chatted about simple things while they ate, avoiding anything that would cause too much thinking. That was something that you saved for the second date; at least, in Jack’s opinion it was. First date was just supposed to be testing the water.

“So,” Gabriel said as the waiter brought them the check. “Feel like retreating to my house for the night?”

“I…,” Jack stared at him. Was he asking what he thought he was asking?

“I have a few movies we could watch,” Gabriel smiled. “If you want to, of course.”

“Sure,” Jack said as he got to his feet. “Let me just pay for this.”

Jack went to the front counter to pay for supper and left a small tip. Gabriel was waiting by the car when he emerged, smiling as he puffed on his e-cigarette. They climbed into the car and talked about nothing all the way back to Gabriel’s house. Jack’s leg was jumping as he pulled into the driveway; he felt like he was getting ready to go skydiving.

Gabriel led the way up to the house and let them in. Jack wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he smiled as he walked in. The walls were covered in pictures of Gabriel’s family; his parents and two sisters with their own kids. A number of pictures were of kids in various poses, each one grinning widely. Jack could see that they were related to Gabriel, all but one; one little girl with great big brown eyes and part of her head shaved.

“Olivia got lice,” Gabriel said as he spotted Jack staring at the picture. “Ally took the picture while her partner shaved her head.”

“Adopted?” Jack asked.

“Yah; nightmare to get the kid into the country, but they pulled it off,” Gabriel smiled. “She’s a smart little thing. Loves computers. Jorje’s trying to keep up with her demands, but even he’s over his head when she starts talking.”

“Jorje’s your brother-in-law?” Jack asked.

“Yah, but Ally and Jorje aren’t married,” Gabriel said. “Common law. Quite the stir in the community that made when she said they weren’t going to get married. Mama and Papa didn’t care; they were just happy that she was happy.”

“Glad to hear it,” Jack smiled.

“You have any siblings?” Gabriel asked.

Jack shook his head. “Nah. Just me,” he said. “Mom had fertility issues. And Dad didn’t want to make her go through pregnancy again since it kicked the shit out of her.”

“That must have been lonely,” Gabriel frowned.

Jack laughed. “Nah, I had lots of friends growing up,” he said. “And there’s nothing better than baby animals chasing you around the farm.”

“Cute,” Gabriel smiled as he led the way to the living room. “You like comedies?”

“Sort of; I tend to find them not as funny as people make them out to be,” Jack said as he took a seat on the couch.

“Well, if we don’t like it, I have a whole library to pick from,” Gabriel smiled as he started the movie and sat down beside Jack.

Jack smiled at Gabriel and shyly started running his fingers through Gabriel’s hair. Gabriel snuggled in against him, resting his head against Jack’s chest. His arm slipped behind him and settled on Jack’s hip. It was a rather intimate position to be in, but Jack felt that it was only natural.

He passed out at some point and only woke because his cellphone went off in his pocket. He fished it out, gently moving Gabriel’s head down to his lap so that he could move freely. He answered his phone, frowning as he heard Jesse crying on the other end.

“Ssh, hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“I want to go home,” Jesse wailed. “Daddy, come get me.”

“Ssh, okay, Jesse,” Jack soothed. “I’ll be there shortly, okay, baby?”

“Okay, Daddy,” Jesse sniffled. “Thank you.”

“Love you, darling,” Jack cooed before he hung up.

“Mmm, homesick?” Gabriel asked as he sat up and rubbed at his eyes.

“Yah,” Jack smiled as he got to his feet. “Thanks for a fun night, Gabriel. Let’s do it again sometime.”

“Doesn’t have to end now,” Gabriel smiled and punched Jack’s shoulder gently. “I could tag along and we can finish that cuddle session at your place.”

“You sure?” Jack asked. “Jesse’s probably going to be all over me. He always is after he feels homesick.”

“I don’t mind,” Gabriel smiled. “Or do you not want me there?”

Jack smiled and shook his head. “No; I would love for you to spend the night.”

Gabriel smiled and followed him out to the car. Jesse was waiting at the door of his friend’s house. The kid’s mother was fretting over Jesse, trying to get his hair to lie flat. Jack scooped his son up, kissing his cheek as he held him close. Jesse whimpered and clung to him while Gabriel retrieved his overnight bag. He spoke quickly with the mother, smiling and reassuring her that homesickness was normal for kids Jesse’s age.

Jack carried Jesse to the car and buckled him in, kissing him gently. Jesse sniffled and smiled up at him, rubbing at his eye. He let out a shy “love you” before he settled down in his booster seat. Gabriel tucked the overnight bag under his seat before climbing back into the car with Jack.

“Rough night, kiddo?” Gabriel asked as he leaned back in his seat.

“Yah,” Jesse murmured. “Kyle was being mean.”

“Sorry about that, honey,” Jack sighed. “We’ll get you home and into your PJs, okay?”

“Okay,” Jesse smiled at him. “I love you, Daddy. You’re the best.”

Jack did his best not to blush as Gabriel shot him a smirk. He drove them all home, listening to Jesse’s tired explanation about what had happened at his friend’s house. By the sounds of it, it was just typical children’s drama; they’d forget about it by class time the next day. Jack found his son’s voice comforting; Jesse was such a happy little boy even when he was upset.

He carried his son into the house when they arrived. Gabriel followed with the bag, smiling as Jesse started to fall asleep against Jack’s shoulder. Jack got Jesse changed into his favourite cowboy pajamas and tucked him into bed.

“Daddy, are you going to marry Gabi?” Jesse asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Jack felt himself blush. “We only started dating. We might not be good daddies together.”

“I think you will,” Jesse smiled at him. “Gabi’s the best and you’re the bestest daddy ever. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Jack kissed his forehead. “You get some sleep now, okay?”

Jesse nodded and rolled onto his side, burrowing his face into his pillow. Gabriel smiled as Jack closed the door until there was only a small sliver of light sliding into the room. Jesse liked a little bit of light from the hallway nightlight shining into his room; he didn’t like nightlights in his room since he said they were too bright.

“You’re such a good dad,” Gabriel teased as he slipped his hand into Jack’s and squeezed.

“Thanks,” Jack chuckled as he swung their arms for a moment before he rubbed his neck. “We should get to bed. Jesse gets up at seven-thirty to get ready for school.”

“Sounds good,” Gabriel said before he headed straight for Jack’s room. “I have really cold toes, just so you know.”

“I’m a furnace,” Jack chuckled as he followed Gabriel into the room. “I can loan you some PJs if you want.”

“You got pants?” Gabriel asked as he pulled his shirt off.

Jack almost dropped his glasses as he pulled them off of his face. He stared at Gabriel’s muscular chest and felt heat pool in his belly. He spun around quickly, scrambling to get a pair of pants for the other man. He felt heat rushing down his body as he heard Gabriel strip out of his pants and held the pajama bottoms out to him.

“You okay there, blondie?” Gabriel chuckled.

“Fine, fine; perfectly fine,” Jack squeaked out.

He moved away as soon as Gabriel grabbed the bottoms. He got changed quickly, climbing into bed and tucking his face into the pillow so he didn’t have to see Gabriel’s gorgeous body taunting his much softer and much less impressive body. Hana called it a ‘dad bod’, but he felt it was more of a kick in the gut considering how fit he used to be.

Gabriel climbed onto the bed and snuggled against Jack’s back, looping his arms loosely around Jack’s hips. Jack tensed up, feeling the small movement of Gabriel’s chest against his shoulders as the other man nuzzled him.

“You forget the part about me wanting to finish the snuggle-fest?” Gabriel asked.

“Didn’t think you’d want to after seeing what was under the shirt,” Jack murmured.

“What? This?” Gabriel’s hands gently squeezed either side of Jack’s belly. “Why wouldn’t I want to snuggle this?”

“It’s hairy and flabby?” Jack offered.

“Nothing wrong with body hair and you aren’t flabby. This is a normal amount of fat for a man your age, Jack,” Gabriel chuckled.

“I’m barely pushing thirty! I used to be able to bench two hundred pounds and run forever without slowing,” Jack snapped. “I’m just…so not worth your time.”

“Are we back to that argument?” Gabriel asked. “Jack, I spend all of my time chasing kids around and wrestling them back into their clothing before I have to go manhandle idiots out of my bar. I keep this figure through hours at the gym because I need to. You don’t need it.”

“Why, because I’m perfect the way I am?” Jack sneered.

“Wow, this really is touchy for you,” Gabriel murmured before he slowly rolled Jack onto his back and leaned over him. “Why are you so self-conscious, Jack?”

Jack looked at Gabriel for a moment before looking away. “I spent my childhood listening to people tell me how pretty I was and how I was going to break all the hearts when I was older. Then I got older and people would joke that at least I had looks. They always acted like my looks were the only thing I had going for me…and they were right. The world doesn’t care about another little Nordic white boy.”

“Jack,” Gabriel stared at him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him. “I don’t see you that way. You are beautiful, but you’re also smart, loving and so dedicated to your son that I can’t help but get butterflies in my stomach whenever you call me. I want you, Jack. Adorable little belly and all.”

Jack shook his head and looked away. “You sure?” he asked. “I’m really not all that interesting.”

“I’ll make that decision myself,” Gabriel said before kissing him again. “Now, how about we keep snuggling and forget about this talk, yes?”

“Okay,” Jack smiled shyly before he shifted so that they could snuggle face to face.

Gabriel ran his fingers slowly through Jack’s hair before kissing him. Jack smiled into the kiss as he shifted closer, closing his eyes to the wonderful feeling that he had been eager to experience for years.  

**Author's Note:**

> Gabriel has a lot of work to do to convince Jack that he is worth everything.


End file.
